nectar

noun

nec·​tar ˈnek-tər 

1

a

: the drink of the Greek and Roman gods

b

: something delicious to drink

c

: a beverage of fruit juice and pulp

apricot nectar

2

: a sweet liquid that is secreted by the nectaries of a plant and is the chief raw material of honey

nectarous

ˈnek-t(ə-)rəs 

adjective

Did you know?

Nectar is often mentioned in conjunction with ambrosia, the food of the Greek and Roman gods. For centuries, English speakers have used ambrosia to refer to something with an extremely pleasing taste or smell, and nectar to refer to a delicious drink, especially a fruit juice. To the ancient Greeks and Romans, however, the powers of nectar and ambrosia far exceeded those of any earthly fare; consuming nectar and ambrosia gave the gods their immortality. In Greek, the literal meanings of ambrosia and nectar are "immortality" and "overcoming death," respectively. Nektar is believed to be a compound of Greek nek- (probably akin to Latin nec-, meaning "death") and -tar (probably akin to Sanksrit tarati, meaning "he overcomes or crosses over").

Examples of nectar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Any pollinator who wants to come along can come and get a taste of the pollen and maybe get a little bit of nectar depending on the magnolia species. — Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 30 July 2026

The fact that bees ever found elusive Tupelo flowers and made honey from the nectar seems like a miracle to Dennard. — Anne Byrn, Southern Living, 26 July 2026

Most bats have soft fur, large ears, leathery wings stretched over long finger bones, and tiny, sharp teeth designed for catching insects or feeding on nectar and fruit. — Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 24 July 2026

The queen lays the eggs, 1,000 a day; the drones’ sole purpose is to mate with the queen; worker bees forage for nectar and pollen, as well as build, repair, and defend the hive. — Richard Schiffman, Christian Science Monitor, 22 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek nektar

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for nectar

• hector
• lector
• rector
• sector
• specter
• spectre
• vector
• bisector
• collector
• connector
• corrector
• defector

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Kids Definition

nectar

noun

nec·​tar ˈnek-tər 

1

: the drink of the Greek and Roman gods

2

: a sweet liquid given off by plants and especially by the flowers and used by bees in making honey